Happy Tuesday
by GeneHarlow
Summary: Norma Bates didn't like Valentine's day. Until Alex, it had never been a day that held much appeal, invoking more bad memories than good. Leave it to Alex Romero to change all that...


**Happy belated Valentine's day! I'd apologise for this being late, but, at this point, did you really expect anything different? I don't work well to deadlines :)**

* * *

"So, Valentine's day is coming up?"

"Mm hm." She murmured sleepily, like she wasn't really listening.

There was a long pause, while he waited for her to add something and when she didn't, he hesitantly continued.

"So..." He ventured, as she shifted a little in his arms, nuzzling her head against his chest, distracting him. "What do you wanna do?"

"What do I wanna do about what?" She mumbled, yawning, and he rolled his eyes. He knew she wasn't listening.

"What do you want to do for Valentine's day?" He clarified, and she tensed a little.

"Oh."

There was a long pause, where she nervously rubbed her toes up and down his leg.

"I don't want to do anything." She said finally.

He puffed out a little laugh into the darkness, stroking his finger tips down her arm.

"Ok then." He said, nodding disbelievingly. He knew women well enough to know this was some kind of test. He'd play along.

"No, Alex. This isn't a trick. Promise." She turned her head up to him, glancing at him, a sad smile he didn't understand pulling at her lips.

"I don't really like Valentine's day. I don't want to do anything. I don't want you to get me anything."

Her tone was strange and tight and Alex frowned at the ceiling for a moment, trying to work out what was going on.

"Why?"

He felt her puff out a long sigh against his chest, her finger tips tapping out an anxious pattern where they lay on his stomach.

"I just don't."

There was a finality to her tone that told him the conversation was over and he just held her closer, trailing his finger tips up and down her arm until he felt her relax against his body again, finally slipping into a deep sleep.

When she awoke, she was alone, and she stretched her hand lazily across his side of the bed, finding it cold. Sitting up groggily, she frowned around the room for a moment, until she heard his footfalls on the stairs, slowly making his way up to her. She flung one leg out of bed, just as he rounded the corner, a tray in his hands.

"Ah! Get that foot back in bed." He commanded, and she was so confused, she obediently tucked her foot back under the covers, cocking her head at him.

"Ta da!" Alex announced proudly, showing her the contents of the tray, with a little flourish. He'd made breakfast, slightly mishapen pancakes, with bacon and oddly chopped fruit, with coffee and orange juice and a single wild flower he must have picked from the yard laid simply on the tray.

"Wha-" She breathed out, grinning at him as he took his place back on the bed next to her, waiting for her to sit up and get herself settled before he proudly handed her the tray.

"You made me breakfast in bed?" She asked sweetly, popping a strawberry into her mouth, still looking over the tray in awe.

He nodded, clambering back under the covers where it was warm, reaching over to steal a piece of bacon from her plate.

She tucked in, eating hesitantly, her uncertainty dissipating when she realised it was actually good.

"What's the occasion?" She said, muffled through a small mouthful of pancake, glancing up at him to find him smiling at her, looking very pleased with himself.

"I just... I don't need one particular day to show you how much I care about you." He said pointedly and she nodded for a moment, before realising what he was getting at.

She swallowed her bite and took a deep breath.

"That's not why I hate Valentine's day." She said quietly, flitting her eyes to him nervously. He looked disappointed to have not figured out the mystery, especially when he was so sure that he had.

"Sa-." She started, then shook herself, taking a long sip of juice to steady herself before carrying on. "My ex-husband. He used to make a big thing out of Valentine's day." She shrugged, finding Alex staring at her in confusion. He didn't really understand what she was getting at. She continued.

"He... would send flowers to where I worked. We'd go out to the only semi-nice restaurant in our town. He'd make a big show of how much he loved me." He voice grew smaller and colder as she talked, and Alex still didn't feel like he was following.

"Until we got home." She fixed her gaze on her pancakes, tapping her ring absentmindedly against the side of her glass. "He just... He just wanted people to think we were happy. It was all empty. All of it." She shrugged like it was no big deal.

"It all went away as soon as we were alone again." She finished quietly, her voice breaking a little, and she glanced to the side, finding him gazing at her so sadly, so lovingly that she had to bite her lip to stop from sobbing there and then.

He reached for her, leaning over delicately, careful not to knock over the tray, pressing a soft kiss against her lips, his hand stroking gently down the side of her face.

"I'm sorry." He said seriously, and she scoffed a little.

"It's fine. It was a long time ago. I just don't like... ya know? The flowers and the hearts and stuff." He nodded, completely understanding. He didn't want her to associate the schmaltz of the holiday with any bad memories, especially not when he could see her hand shaking out of the corner of his eye, could feel the tension radiating from her body. He made a mental note the cancel the dozen red roses he'd ordered to be delivered to the motel office. The idea didn't seem cute anymore.

He reached for her trembling hand, noting the way her eyes were glazed over, and he wondered which horrible Valentine's night she was reliving, while he pulled her hand up to his lips, kissing the place where her ring met her palm.

"No flowers. No hearts. I promise." She smiled at him gratefully, the haunted look leaving her eyes.

"Now eat your breakfast, Mrs Romero."

* * *

"Hey." He wrapped one arm around her from behind, pressing a kiss against her neck while she stirred a pot on the stove.

"Hi hun."

"Something smells good." He trilled in her ear, holding her close.

"I added red wine to the gravy!" She explained excitedly, with an enthusiasm he'd never known anyone else have for cooking.

"Yeah, the stew smells good too." He joked, nuzzling her neck and inhaling deeply, pleased when she let out a shrill little giggle at his words.

"I got you something." He swooped his arm around her, presenting her with a tiny little cactus in a terracotta pot.

She gasped delightedly.

"For the back office?" She asked, sounding pleased as she wiped her hands on her apron, taking the little pot out of his hands and examining it.

"Yeah, I remember you said you wanted to have a plant in there but there's not enough light and it's too dry with the heaters on. The lady at the nursery said this little guy should be fine in there."

She pouted adorably, turning her head over her shoulder to meet his eyes.

"What did I do to deserve you?" She kissed him, with lots of tiny pecks before pulling back and setting her cactus on the side, smiling fondly at it before grabbing her wooden spoon again.

He took a seat at the table, content to watch her for a moment, enjoying the obvious pleasure she took in making them food.

"Hey Norma?" He started, a little nervously.

"Do you prefer quantity or quality?"

She glanced over her shoulder, frowning in confusion as such an out-of-the-blue question.

"I love the cactus, Alex. But I don't want you to buy me any more." She said seriously, and he barked out a little laugh.

"No, no. Just... in general?"

She turned back to the stove, leaning over to grab the pepper, pondering for a moment.

"Is this a sex question?" She said, completely casually, and he choked a little on nothing.

"What? No?" He spluttered.

"Cause if it was, then both." She turned to shoot him a playful, saucy smirk over her shoulder and he grinned back at her, rising to his feet and crossing over to her.

His hands swept over her hips, crossing over her stomach, tugging her back against him and she hummed a little at their feel of him crushing his chest against her back.

"Not now, Alex." She chastised, even as she craned her neck to the side, giving him better access as he pressed a line of kisses down from underneath her ear to the collar of her blouse.

"I'm making dinner."

"I'm not stopping you." He murmured, letting his lips brush the shell of her ear, his teeth grazing her ear lobe.

Suddenly he stepped back, chuckling when she almost tripped backwards, unbalanced as soon as his body moved away from hers.

She tutted at him, turning back to her stew, visibly flustered by him and he watched her for a moment, enjoying the small smile she couldn't wipe from her lips.

"Quality." She said after a long pause, where she regained her composure and had been staring thoughtfully into the pan for a long time.

"Hmm. Me too." He said cryptically and then he was up and bustling about, laying the table, before she could question him any further.

* * *

The next day, Alex was watching the game on the giant TV he had bought for her, when he heard the door slam and the sound of her keys hitting the counter with more force than was necessary.

"Norma?"

"What?" She shouted back immediately, sounding annoyed.

"Just... checking it was you?" He called back hesitantly, immediately sensing A Mood.

"Who else is it going to be?" She muttered back, grumbling to herself as she tripped over something in the hall.

"Alex! Why is one single shoe in the hall? My god." He heard her fling the shoe with force up the stairs and was torn between wanting to get up and go and see what the matter was, and desparately not wanting to deal with Norma when she was in this sort of mood.

She appeared in the doorway, hands on hips, glaring from the TV back to him.

"Oh great. Football. I see you've had a productive day."

He thought it would be wiser to say nothing than to list the numerous small repairs he'd made to the house today. He hoped when she noticed the squeak on the stairs gone, or the wobble in the porch rail was fixed, she'd feel a little guilty though.

She flopped dramatically down onto the couch beside him and he watched her frown, arms crossed for a moment.

"What's wrong?" He ventured, and she sighed.

"Some jackass in a white beamer cut me off."

 _Don't laugh. Don't laugh. Don't laugh._ He thought to himself desperately.

"Fucking asshole. Such a dick." She grumbled to herself, looking like an angry toddler and he fought the urge to smile.

"So, I pulled out onto Main Street, right? And this ASSHOLE on his cell phone cuts in front of me, so I scream at him out of the window."

The smile was threatening to pull at his lips against his will now. Of course she screamed at him out of the window.

"And somehow I ended up in front of him, and then I realised this jerk is following me, yelling the entire way."

The smile dropped from his face.

"What?"

"I know!" She ploughed on, not noticing his dark expression. "Eventually, he cuts me off again, and so I get out and he's telling me I should be more careful of his precious car, and do I know how much his car costs and "fucking women drivers" and he called me "baby" and "sweetheart"..." She ended with a small frustrated scream, shaking her hands in front of her, and then reaching to start undoing her shoes.

"You got out?" He repeated back to her. "You got out and confronted him?"

"Yes, Alex!" She snapped, growling in annoyance when she couldn't undo the tiny buckle on her shoe, kicking their coffee table and giving up. "What was I supposed to do, just let him drive like an asshole?"

"Yes! Norma, you don't confront men like that!" He protested, his tone full of concern.

She let out an exasperated sigh.

"He was an jerk, not a murderer, Alex."

"How do you know that?" He pointed out and she just groaned, standing suddenly and stalking off into the kitchen.

He followed her, jumping as she slammed a saucepan down on the stove with incredible force.

"Norma, please don't do things like that." He said calmly. "Just get his plates and let me know next time-"

"What? So my big strong husband can rescue me?" She snapped bitterly, not looking up from the counter.

"I'm a grown woman! I can fight my own battles, Alex!" She hastily reached for a bag of rice from a cupboard shelf that was clearly too high for her, and the bag tipped over, spilling the contents onto the side. She screamed with irritation, sweeping a handful of rice scattering around the kitchen before she could stop herself.

She stood panting for a moment, staring at the grains of rice on the floor, before a small laugh bubbled up and she bit her lip, glancing at him.

"Oops."

She was impossible, screaming with rage one moment, and giggling like an unruly toddler the next. He shook his head at her, half laughing, half frowning, consistently perplexed by how ridiculous she was.

"Wow." He said eventually, surveying the damage and then flicking his eyes back to her. She began to look a little sheepish as the anger leached out of her.

"I don't like people treating me like I'm powerless." She explained with a shrug, and he nodded, realising that, with valentine's day looming, perhaps this was about more than a jerk in a beamer and spilling the rice.

"You're not powerless Norma." He assured her, and she nodded. "But I don't want you to get hurt." He said slowly, considering his words carefully.

He crossed over to her slowly, rice crunching under foot like snow as he did so, reaching for her nervously, like she was a wild animal. She crossed the last step to him, pressing herself into his embrace, all the fight leaving her body.

"I know you don't need me to fight your battles for you, Norma." He pressed a kiss to the top of her head. "But I wish you'd let me sometimes."

She just nodded simply.

"I don't want you to feel powerless." He said eventually.

"I don't. Not with you."

* * *

"Morning." He murmured softly in her ear, and she groaned sleepily.

"Morning." She slurred, rolling onto her back in his arms, yawning cutely.

"Happy tuesday." She let her eyes flutter open, grinning at him.

"Happy tuesday to you too." She glanced around the room. No flowers. No cards. No chocolates. It was perfect.

"What did you want to do today?" She said, stretching like a cat, her hand trailing down the back of his neck.

"Well, first order of business..." He trailed off as he rolled himself on top of her, swallowing her breathless giggle.

Her thighs opened automatically, wrapping around him as he gently pressed her down.

"Ok." She said, giggling as his stubble tickled her neck. "But nothing too romantic." She said with a mock seriousness, and he pulled back, realising what she meant. He ground himself roughly against her, already feeling the heat of her through his boxers.

"Yes, m'am." He chuckled, rolling them again so she was on top of him. She squealed and giggled, pushing herself to sit up to look at him for a moment. He gazed at her lovingly, pushing his hips up against her, letting her feel his need for her.

"Too romantic." She chastised, with a soft laugh, and he tried to wipe the tender love from his eyes, failing miserably. Instead, he let his hand wander down her spine, giving her a hard slap on the ass. She gasped, her mouth dropping open and for a second, Alex thought he'd pushed it too far, before she giggled seductively and he did it again, feeling her skin heat under his hand.

He struck her ass again, every jerk of her body against his, every breathless shriek in his ear sending heat shooting straight to his groin.

"Ouch." She giggled breathlessly in his ear after the third slap, and his hand froze, rubbing tenderly over her heated skin.

"Sorry." He blurted out. "I was just-"

She cut him off with a frantic kiss, grinding herself against his ever hardening length through his boxers.

"Good ouch." She muttered against his lips, before she pulled herself away, giggling as he craned up, trying to follow her. She clambered off him, kneeling up on her knees to turn around, her skimpy nightdress falling back down, covering her ass and thighs from his view, before she was shuffling backwards, arranging her thighs either side of his. She reached down, whipping his boxers down only far enough to get at what she wanted, before she awkwardly rearranging herself, rising up on her knees, reaching to guide him inside her and sinking down on him before he could catch up with what she was doing.

She arched her back, tossing her head back, starting to move hard and fast, bearing herself down on him with a little moan. Alex's hand were hanging limply down by his sides, scarcely believing his luck at the view of his wife riding him like this, admiring the taut muscles in her back, watching as her strap dropped from her shoulder. His brain finally engaged and his hands began to work again, sweeping up her spine, brushing against her curls, bouncing wildly with every thrust.

She turned over her shoulder, smirking seductively at him.

"You wanna see your handiwork?" She panted out, never slowing her pace, suddenly pulling her little satin nightdress over her head, leaving her bare to his hungry eyes. His gaze travelled down her bare back, landing on her ass, perfectly bobbing up and down, her left cheek blooming an angry shade of red.

"Jesus..." He muttered guiltily, his hand drifting down her back to tenderly sweep over her hot pink flesh. She moaned again, increasing her pace, and he tried to push his guilt from his mind, his hands sliding up to grab at her hips, holding her tightly.

Her hand covered his, pushing his right hand to her untouched ass cheek.

"Again." She moaned out, assuaging any guilt he might have still feel feeling over hurting her. He obliged, giving her ass a light little slap and they both gasped as her body tightened around him for a second.

"Fuck." He murmured.

"Harder." She demanded, and even though they weren't supposed to be celebrating it, Alex decided this was the best start to any Valentine's day he'd ever had.

He brought his hand down again, feeling her cheek heat and redden under his palm. She jerked again and he groaned as she clenched around him again, his free hand shooting out to grab a handful of sheets, closing his eyes, trying to keep his fragile grip on his control.

She leaned forwards, bracing herself against her knees, starting to lose her rhythm a little as she rode him.

"Again." She choked out and he shook his head, even though she couldn't see it.

"I can't." He ground out, unable to stop the onslaught of pleasure that was building within.

She seemed to immediately understand, slowing her pace ever so slightly to drop her hand between her legs, roughly rubbing at her clit, hastening herself along.

He groaned loudly as he came, jerking his hips up inside her hard and she was following him a heartbeat later, weakly spasming and writhing on top of him, digging her nails into his knee. She moaned loudly, the rolling of her hips slowing as they rode out their orgasm together, and then he was tugging at her waist, pulling her to flop back heavily against his chest.

"I like you in charge." He panted out into her ear, his hand roaming up and down her torso soothingly, feeling her breathing begin to return to normal.

"So do I." She agreed, letting out a soft hum as his hands clutched lightly at her breasts, her oversentised body trembling under his touch.

"Happy tuesday." She muttered, her hand raising over her head to clasp the side of his face, before turning to kiss him sloppily.

He chuckled into her mouth.

"A VERY happy tuesday."

* * *

"What do you mean, I can't wear this?" She looked down at herself indignantly, holding out the full skirt of the sleeveless floral sun dress she was wearing.

"I mean, you can't wear that." He said, hands on his hips, waiting by the door. "Well, you can wear it, but you need to go put a sweater on or something."

"Are you kidding me?" She huffed out, shaking her head incredulously and starting to stomp up the stairs. "If you'd just tell me where we were going, I might be able to dress myself more appropriately."

He just rolled his eyes, catching sight of her little open toe wedge sandals as she reached the top of the stairs.

"And change your shoes!" He yelled up after her. "Put your boots on."

"I hate you!" She trilled back. She came back down twenty minutes later, glowering at Alex, wearing a completely different outfit.

"The boots didn't go with the dress." She explained snappily, snatching her coat from his outstretched hands.

"Well, you look good." He muttered, pressing his hand against the small of her back to lead her out of the house. She did. In her white blouse, baby pink cardigan, maroon skirt and brown knee high boots, she looked about as appropriately dressed as she ever could be for where he was taking her.

"So now will you tell me where we're going?" She huffed impatiently, as he opened her door for her.

"Not yet. You'll see." She sighed and crossed her arms as he took his place in the driver's seat.

"You know I don't like Valentine's day..." She started, her tone needling and whiny and he rolled his eyes while he pulled out of the parking lot.

"I know." He said seriously. He felt a strange pang of sadness at not being able to treat her the way he wanted to. He'd never really been much of a romantic, but he'd secretly been looking forward to spoiling her. He'd been planning the works - The whole cliche day. Breakfast in bed, card, chocolates, roses, dinner in the city, and then to an expensive hotel room where he'd been planning to make her come so many times she lost count. But then she'd revealed her past, and he'd changed his plans. He couldn't bear the idea of a romantic gesture triggering some kind of horrible memory for her, but it wasn't until they'd argued over her road rage incident that he'd decided on the perfect place to take her. Glancing at her now, he realised it was a very risky move.

"You might not approve of where we're going?" He blurted out suddenly.

She turned to look at him, glaring at him.

"Is is somewhere romantic?"

He barked out a short laugh.

"No!"

"Then I'm sure it will be fine."

They drove in a slightly uncomfortable silence for the rest of the journey, until eventually Alex pulled in to the parking lot of a very nondescript warehouse, turning off the engine and waiting for her reaction. She looked up at the signage and then back at him, her expression unreadable.

"Are you serious?"

Alex chose to say nothing, just nodded and waited to try and gauge something from her face. She gave nothing away, simply stepping from the car and staring up at the sign, shaking her head slightly.

"We can go if you want?" He ventured.

"No, no. We came out all this way..." She muttered, crossing her arms across her body. She looked annoyed and Alex immediately regretted bringing her here.

"Hi there! Welcome to Beaver Creek Armory and Shooting Range! Do you have a booking with us today?"

"Erm yeah, Romero." Alex said unsurely, sweeping his hand over Norma's back, who was looking distrustfully around the gun-laden reception area like she'd never felt so out of place in her entire life.

Still, her manners kicked in and she smiled politely at the plump woman on the desk as she gave their IDs a cursory glance.

"First time, honey?" The woman cooed sympathetically and Norma nodded nervously.

"I'm guessing it's not your first time firing a gun?" She cast the question at Alex, giving him an approving glance up and down.

"I'm a county sheriff." He said, with a hint of smugness that had Norma finally suppressing a smile.

"Lovely." The woman trilled back patronisingly. "You good to show her the ropes then?"

* * *

Minutes later and Norma was holding a gun gingerly, like she was afraid it was going to bite her.

"I don't know if I like this or not?" She said honestly, placing the gun on the counter in front of her and readjusting her ear defenders, trying not to mess up her hair.

"We can go if you want?" He offered, for the hundredth time and she shook her head. In truth, she wasn't sure if she wanted to leave or not. Every instinct she had told her that she didn't approve of places like this. She didn't approve of guns in general really. Yes, she'd asked Dylan to get her one, but that was different - She was a single mother, living with a son she suspected may one day become dangerous, even back then. She had every right to want to protect herself.

But this was different. This was for fun. Shooting a paper targets for entertainment. It felt frivolous and dangerous and stupid. So why couldn't she take her eyes off Alex as he expertly checked and loaded his weapon, all the pieces clicking into place with a satisfying click. He was frowning with concentration, the fine lines on his forehead deepening as he checked over the larger weapon he'd chosen for himself, and then, with more care and thought, checked over the smaller gun he'd chosen for her.

"You wanna watch me first?" He yelled through their ear protectors and she nodded, biting her lip.

"But don't do too good, or I won't want to do it!" She warned him and he could tell she meant it. Norma was good at almost everything, except being calm and reasonable - He could tell it would put her off if he was too good.

He pushed her behind him a little, to where he knew she was safe, and then pressed the button to bring his paper target into place.

"It's kinda loud!" He warned her and she nodded, leaning back on her heels, pressing her hands over her ear defenders in the cutest way imaginable.

He lined up the shot, then aimed slightly to the side, pulling the trigger and hitting the far side of the outline on his target. He pulled the trigger over and over again, always slightly compensating for how good a shot he was by moving slightly at the last moment, hitting the target every time, but nothing too impressive. He placed his gun down on the counter, removing his ear defenders and turning around the find her staring at him strangely.

"You wanna try?" He held out her gun to her and she stepped forward apprehensively, reaching for it with shaking a shaking hand.

"You ever shot a gun before?"

She nodded shyly, and Alex looked perplexed for a moment before his frown smoothed out.

"Dylan?" He guessed simply and she nodded, biting her lip.

"You won't arrest him will you?"

He just chuckled, moving closer to her and pressing his hands over her, showing her how to load it, talking a mile a minute in her ear, but she wasn't really listening. All she could focus on was the heat of his hands pressing over hers and the comfortable weight of the gun in her hands.

"Ok, I wanna shoot it now." She interrupted him, while he was wittering on about gun safety and he rolled his eyes, reaching for her ear defenders and moving them down over her ears.

"You ready?" He yelled, stepping to the side and back, leaning forward a little to press the button to line up her target.

She pulled the trigger the moment it had stopped flapping about, missing by a mile and she glanced over her shoulder, shrugging at him sheepishly.

"Whoops."

He nodded at her encouragingly and she tried again, closing one eye and aiming at the target, shooting again and hitting the top corner of the paper.

"It was easier hitting bottles." She explained, pouting over her shoulder at him and he held his hands up to get her attention fully.

"May I?"

She nodded and he stepped closer, pressing his front against her back. She gasped at the contact, shivering as he gently trailed her fingers down her arms, coming to rest over her hands on the weapon.

"Relax your body." He murmured, as quietly as he could through the ear muffs she was wearing. His hand dropped to her hip, swinging their hips loosely for a moment until she relaxed the tension in her body a little.

His hand drifted up to press against her ribcage, his hand warm through the thin fabric of her blouse.

"Take a deep breath." She closed her eyes, taking a slow, deep breath, feeling him do the same behind her, their bodies in sync.

"Keep your stance strong." He flicked his foot between her legs, tapping his shoe against her ankle, signalling her to stand with her legs a little wider.

"Now, keep both eyes open. Squeeze the trigger, don't pull it. Squeeze. And take as long as you want aiming - They don't charge us by the minute."

He remained pressed against her back, his hands lightly touching her elbows to help her aim a little, and she took a long deep breath, before squeezing the trigger, hitting the outline of a man squarely in the shoulder. It was a vast improvement and she squealed with delight, sensibly putting the gun down before turning and throwing her arms around him.

"I did it!" She announced happily, before turning back with a steely look of determination.

"I wanna shoot again."

He was more than happy to let her, pleased there were apparently fairly lax safety protocols in place here, because no-one came to tell him to move away from where he was dangerously standing pressed up against her back.

"Go for the head." He whispered, and she nodded seriously, adjusting her stance without him telling her to, confidenly raising the weapon to shoot all by herself.

"Imagine it's... someone you hate." He muttered and she inhaled deeply through her nose, her posture changing, her gaze growing steely.

She pulled the trigger, hitting the target in the neck, before she pulled the trigger over and over again, hitting the target in the head and chest every single time, eventually running out of bullets and clicking disappointedly a few times.

"Wow." Alex breathed out, as she pulled off her safety wear, panting hard like she'd just run a marathon. His hands had found their way to her hips, as every recoil from the gun had sent her jolting against him and he froze when he realised why she was suddenly stifling a giggle.

"Alex..." She said pointedly, glancing over her shoulder incredulously at him before casting her gaze down, to where his raging semi was pressing against her ass.

"It's the adrenaline." He blurted out immediately, and she giggled, crinkling her nose in that way that he loved.

"Sure it is." She wriggled against him a little, smirking wickedly as he cleared his throat and looked around nervously.

"I wanna watch you shoot." She said, taking a sudden step away from the heat of his body, leaning back against the wall of their booth, her arms folded.

"You already did."

"No. Shoot properly. I know you can do better than that." She said, her tone challenging, and he stared defiantly at her for a moment, before he shrugged humbly in agreement and handed her her ear defenders.

"Watch and learn, Mrs Romero." He picked up his gun, reloading with ease and shooting her an unreadable glance over his shoulder, before he began shooting, quickly and efficiently. Every shot hit the target squarely in the head, and she found her eyes drawn to the tightening of his jaw with every shot, and the way his biceps jerked with every recoil from the gun. Her thumb found it's way to her bottom lip, and she chewed it absentmindedly, jutting her hips forwards, her breathing growing quicker as she watched him. Eventually, he was done and he turned to her, both of them taking off their headgear, simply watching each other breath for a second. He was panting hard, the physical excitement of shooting a gun never quite wearing off, and he watched her chewing her thumb coyly, his eyes drifting down her body to where she was casually rubbing her thighs together, shifting on the spot.

She took a step forwards, reaching for his hand and pulling him towards her.

"Come on. I don't wanna shoot guns anymore." She murmured, taking his hand and leading him out, his numb legs simply following her, both of them ignoring the polite woman on the desk and almost jogging out back to his car.

He was fumbling for his keys when she shoved him back suddenly, crushing her lips against his, pressing him back against the side of the car. He pulled back in shock for a moment, before he span them, swapping their places, pressing his growing erection against her, kissing her hard, his hands tangling in her hair.

"We can't do this here." He muttered against her lips and she made a soft whining noise from the back of her throat, like he was being SO unfair.

"Fine." She murmured back, snatching the keys out of his hand and shoving him away from her, before skipping around to the driver's side of the car.

"What are you doing?" He spluttered, watching as she climbed into the driver's seat.

"I wanna drive." She announced simply. "Get in."

He obliged her, despite his reservations. He wasn't sexist - He had no problem with her driving, but he was also strangely old fashioned. He always seemed to naturally end up being the driver any time they had to go anywhere. And most of the time she seemed content to let him, until today.

It felt strange, sitting in the driver's seat, seeing the road from a new perspective. He tried not to glance at what she was doing too much, or to twitch his leg when he wanted her to hit the brakes, but he couldn't help but look over at her every now and again, when she peered at the dashboard, tutting about "modern cars having too many buttons." It was easy to forget she drove a manual car from another era; His modern SUV must feel fairly alien to her. To her credit, she took to it easily, like she did with most things she set her mind to and they were on the road for a few minutes, cruising idly through the small town of Beaver Creek and back out onto the open road, with dense pine trees lining the road either side.

He glanced over at her, watching as she leaned forwards, eyeing the side of the road carefully.

"What are you looking for?" He muttered, squirming in his seat, trying to get comfortable and regain his composure.

"You'll see." She muttered cryptically, and he frowned at her, unsure of what she meant, until her face suddenly broke into a wide smile at the sight of a small turning coming up, more of a dirt track than a road, and she indicated, turning into the small track, trundling the SUV along the bumpy surface slowly.

"Where are we going?" He looked up and down the small path, sheltered on each side by thick evergreens, darkening in the dwindling light of the late afternoon.

She hit the brakes suddenly, looking around suspiciously for a few moments before turning to him, grinning expectantly.

"Nowhere." She muttered, sliding herself along the seat to get closer to him.

Her hand settled on his knee and she looked up at him shyly.

"Why did you take me there?" She asked softly, and he took a moment to consider his answer.

"You... are a very angry woman." He started and her face fell a little. "And I thought maybe you'd like to take your frustrations out on something other than a coffee table or a bag of rice."

She nodded, smiling slightly, trailing small patterns over his denim-clad knee, but he could tell that wasn't the answer she'd been looking for.

"And..." He started hesitantly. "You said you felt powerless?" She glanced up through her lashes at him. "And I don't want you to feel like that."

There was a long pause, where she looked at him with a questioning gaze.

"Not that I think you need a gun to feel powerful." He added suddenly, worrying it was all coming out wrong. "But... I thought you might like to feel powerful? And..." He wrapped his arm around her, letting his other hand drop to her thigh. "You look good shooting a gun."

"I do?" She looked genuinely delighted that he thought so, beaming at him and he slid his hand to the inside of her thigh, nodding.

"It wasn't the adrenaline..." He whispered seductively into her ear and that was all she needed, swinging her leg across his and pulling herself up to straddle his lap.

"What are you-" She cut him off, pressing her lips against his, kissing him like a woman possessed. She pressed her tongue insistently against his lips, and he obliged, opening his mouth to her, letting her take control.

Her hands slid from his shoulders down to his chest, and then lower, fumbling to pull his zipper down, the backs of her fingers finally providing him with some much needed friction. His own hands lay dormant on her thighs, his whole body slack as she released him from his jeans and boxers, closing her hands around him reverently, pumping teasingly, leaning forward to lick at his pulse point as she did so. She released him suddenly, rearing back a little to push the stiff fabric of her skirt up to bunch around her waist, and with that, the intensity was back, as if they had never broken their kiss up against the side of the car. He grabbed the back of her neck, pulling her forwards, kissing her hard, their tongues swiping against each other messily. She bit him, nipping at his lip hard enough to draw blood and he pulled back, staring at her in shock while she licked her lips seductively.

"Sorry." She muttered, though she didn't look sorry at all, leaning forwards to kiss the sting away, taking his hands from by his sides and sliding them up her thighs to the creases where her thighs met her hips.

"Rip." She muttered, and he wasn't sure he'd heard her right, until she repeated it, pressing his hands against the lace of her underwear.

"Rip them." She panted and he didn't need telling again, hooking his hand into the flimsy material and tugging till he felt them give way. Only one leg snapped but that was enough, and he tugged the ruined garment down her leg, leaving the red lace dangling from one knee.

She wasted no more time, shuffling forwards on her knees and raising herself up, lining him up and sinking down slowly. She pressed her eyes shut, flinching slightly at the slight protest her body gave at the intrusion, a vague ache from this morning's vigorous activities still present.

She paused when she was fully seated, and he tugged her forwards again, kissing her sweetly, softly, letting his hands stroke up and down her spine gently, until her body softened and relaxed around him. On shaking thigh muscles, she began to rise and sink incredibly slowly, her rhythm slower and more gentle than anything he'd ever known and his head dropped back against the headrest, screwing up his face at the exquisite torture she was bestowing upon him.

His hands flew to her hips, trying to urge her on a little, but she resisted, keeping the pace so slow he assumed she was torturing him on purpose. His eyes shot open to find her smirking at him wickedly, her eyes dark and wild, watching the expressions flit across his face, confirming his suspicions that she was doing this on purpose.

"Norma..." He groaned, as she gently rolled her hips, her hands resting delicately on his shoulders, and she giggled viciously at him, her eyes drifting closed for a second, biting her lip.

She knew he was stronger than her - He could easily use his grip on her hips to crash her down onto him as hard and fast as he wanted, or push his feet up off the floor, thrusting up into her. But he wasn't Sam Bates. Nor was he like any man she'd ever known. He didn't want to take. He wanted her to give it to him. Alex was right. In his arms, she did feel powerful.

"Please..." He muttered, his tone pleading and her mouth dropped open. Sheriff Bulldog Romero was begging. She obliged, giving him what he wanted, speeding up her pace, one hand shooting up to grab at the handle above the window, using it as purchase as she began to move harder and faster. They'd both been halfway there by the time they'd left the shooting range, so it didn't take long before the sight of her grabbing at the handle, riding him like a wild thing had him groaning and panting, his head thrown back, his hand tangled in the ruined fabric of her panties still hooked around her knee.

"Norma." The breathless way he panted her name was enough and she leaned her forehead against his, her moans quietening to nothing. For a moment, there was only the sound of skin furiously slapping against skin filling the car, before she came with a fractured, desperate moan, moving erratically for a few more strokes.

He watched her, feeling his control slipping, as she collapsed against him, pressing her open mouth against the crook of his neck, still trembling on top of him. He finally took control, the way he easily could have done all along, clasping his hands firmly around her waist, holding her slight weight up, and bending his knees, thrusting up inside her.

She mewled in his ear and then bit down, sucking the skin above where his pulse was beating wildly in his neck and he flinched, coming suddenly with a surprised groan. He shook and trembled his way through a handful of hard, uncontrollable thrusts, spilling up into her as she sucked a bruise into his skin, moaning softly at the taste of his skin on her tongue.

"Happy tuesday." He murmured into her hair, as she released his tender skin, her entire body sagging against him, and his hands trailed slowly along her back, rubbing soothing circles as their breathing slowed.

"Mm hmm." Was all she could manage in reply, and there was silence for a few minutes, until she could manage to push herself up a little, grinning at him, and clambering off him in an unladylike fashion. She flopped back into the driver's seat, shuffling her skirt back down over her thighs, feeling his eyes on her.

"Don't watch me." She muttered, her cheeks colouring a little as she uncomfortably tried to rearrange herself on the seat, smoothing the stiff fabric to cover herself, and he chuckled, averting his gaze for a moment.

Half an hour later, and they were seated in a crappy diner in the middle of nowhere after Norma had dramatically proclaimed "I can't drive the whole way like this!" uncomfortably pressing her sticky thighs together, the car veering a little as she did so. She emerged from the bathroom a few minutes later, looking much happier and alot more presentable.

"Better?" He grinned salaciously at her.

She nodded happily, taking a long sip of the coffee he'd taken the liberty of ordering and adding cream and sugar to.

"I think the other woman in there thought I was a hooker though." She said sadly, completely seriously and he barked out a little laugh at her.

They perused the menu in silence for a few minutes, before the waitress sauntered over, popping her gum, glancing up from her notepad.

"You about ready to order?"

"Hi! Can I get the cobb salad, dressing on the side please?" The plump girl rolled her eyes as she noted down Norma's order, like she could have predicted what the petite woman would choose.

"I'll take a burger, medium rare." Alex said simply, handing the girl the menus back.

"You guys want some fries, or onion rings?" She drawled in the same bored tone and they both shook their heads.

"You sure?" She jotted something on the pad, not looking up at them. "You guys look like you mighta worked up an appetite?"

Their mouths dropped open, neither of them mustering up the brain power to speak, even after the girl sashayed away to the kitchen.

"Rude." Norma muttered, hiding her red face behind her hair, glancing around and then back at Alex, her mouth dropping open when she finally looked at him properly.

"Oh jeez." She whispered to herself, looking around guiltily. "Sorry. I didn't notice." She added, and he reached for the reflective metal napkin holder, grabbing it and frowning at his appearance.

"Jesus Norma!" He murmured, rubbing at the faint smears of baby pink lipstick all over his mouth, noting the swelling on one side of his lip where she'd bitten him. He raised his chin, tutting as his eyes landed on a bite mark settled around a darkening purple bruise she'd sucked into his neck.

"You're a savage." He griped, trying to pull his collar up to cover it, nervously glancing around the diner, his eyes landing back on her as she tried to stifle a giggle.

She looked very pleased with herself, the smile only dropping from her face a little as their surly waitress appeared to silently plonk their food in front of them before retreating from their table.

They picked at their food in a companionable silence, shooting each other happy, flirty little glances over the table, their knees occasionally brushing against each other's.

"I'm sorry I didn't let you give me the Valentine's day you wanted." She said suddenly, like she'd been stealing herself to say it for a few minutes and he glanced up to find her staring sadly at her salad.

"What?" He tried to keep his tone even.

"The hotel left a message on the machine, saying they were sorry they couldn't refund your deposit on the honeymoon suite, but they hoped we'd choose them in the future."

He felt his cheeks colour a little. He hadn't wanted her to know what he'd been planning, trying to cancel everything discreetly.

"And I found the invoice for the roses in your pants pocket."

"I got my money back for those." He said quietly, trying to smile at her. She smiled back, but still looked a little sad.

"I'm sorry I ruined your plans for us."

"You didn't ruin anything." He said hastily, reaching across the table to take her hand in his.

"You didn't." He reiterated seriously, and she smiled up at him.

"I just... I've never associated any of those things with anything good before-"

He tried to cut her off. He didn't want her to relive anything she didn't want to, but she held a hand up to stop him.

"I've never associated alot of things with anything good before I met you." She clarified nervously, breathing out an anxious little giggle at the table top.

"You don't have to explain-"

"I know... I just... I think maybe next year, maybe we could do the whole Valentine's day thing, if you wanted?"

"So spanking and the gun range aren't going to be our traditions from now on?"

She gasped, as if she was scandalised, glancing around the make sure no-one had heard him, before dropping her gaze, squeezing his hand.

"Maybe those can stay?" She murmured shyly, licking her lips and looking up at him innocently through her lashes.

"So I can get you flowers next year?" He asked sweetly, rubbing his ankle against hers and she smiled prettily, nodding.

"And chocolates?" She nodded even more enthusiastically, beaming at him.

"And maybe I could take you somewhere? A little trip maybe?"

She nodded happily, her eyes lighting up.

"I'm glad you said that." He said, letting go of her hand and reaching into the inside pocket of his jacket, pulling out a white envelope, and handing it to her uncertainly.

"I was going to wait to give it to you, make it seem like it wasn't for Valentine's day but..." He trailed off as she opened the envelope, her eyes scanning the pages inside.

"Hawaii?" She muttered, and he tried to read her expression.

"Erm... yeah? I booked it a while ago, since we never got a honeymoon? And I planned to give it to you for Valentine's day, but then I didn't want to upset you so I was going to wait, but I'm worried if I wait any longer, we're going to get reservations down at the motel for the days we're going and so-"

She cut him off, finally looking up from the tickets to him, tears springing to her eyes.

"You're taking me to Hawaii?" She breathed out, a little tearfully.

He nodded gently, trying to gauge her reaction. Norma's moods weren't always easy to judge.

"It's only a short trip." He added unnecessarily, just wanting to fill the silence. "That's why I asked if you preferred quality or quantity? I found this really nice hotel but..."

She stood suddenly, and he watched her, worried for a moment, until she crossed around to him, sliding into his side of the booth, making him slide up to make room for her.

She hugged him, pressing her face against his shoulder, wrapping their arms around each other.

"I know you didn't want me to get you anything for Valentine's day?" He started hesitantly. "But..." He trailed off again, his hands brushing against his curls as he held her.

"I love it." She said, muffled against his jacket, before she pulled down, casting her eyes down sadly again for a second. "I didn't get you anything..."

"Norma." He said seriously, hooking his finger under her chin and pulling her face up to meet his eyes. "We had sex in the squad car. That's the greatest gift I could have asked for."

She burst out into salacious giggles at his unexpected words, nodding as she remembered their activities, her fingers reaching out to brush against his swollen lip.

"Sorry about your lip." She muttered, and he snatched her hand away, pressing a kiss against her palm.

"Don't be." He said, meaning it. He didn't care about his lip, or the fact that he was a grown man with a hickey, or the slight ache in his muscles from their enthusiastic activities throughout the day - He would relish any slight pain she caused him if it meant she felt powerful, and in control, just like she always should have done.

"I'll make it up to you later." She whispered in his ear.

"Good god, woman." He groaned quietly. "Are you trying to kill me?"

She grinned, shaking her head.

"Not till after Hawaii." She said happily and it was his turn to chuckle now, leaning forwards to kiss her, both of them smiling into the kiss.

He pulled back before she could draw him in again and they ended up very unwelcome in this podunk diner.

"Happy tuesday?"

She considered for a moment, before turning back to him, meeting his eyes.

"Happy Valentine's day." She corrected him happily.

* * *

 **This IS a standalone fic, but this also serves as a kind of lead-in for the MUCH requested Hawaii fic that will be coming... very soon... one day. Promise :)**

 **Hope you enjoyed and had a wonderful, orgasm-and-love-filled Valentine's day! Reviews keep my needy self happy. :) xxx**


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